Embedded marketing involves repeatedly placing a product in a context (such as a show or a program) to strengthen the impression of the audience for the product. By blending the product into the show or conversations therein, it may raise the audience's interest for the product. However, when the audience wishes to know more about a particular product, they can only do so by later looking at reports or discussions in print media or the Internet. Thus, there is a need to access comprehensive real time information.
Currently, a QR code for a product can be displayed on the TV screen at the same time the product appears in the program, which allows a user to take a photo of the QR code using a mobile phone to obtain the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of a web page containing more information about the product. However, this method loses the sense of implicitly of embedded marketing. Also, a TV screen filled with QR codes may affect the enjoyment of the audience watching the show, and such a blunt and direct selling technique may even cause aversion towards the product in some audiences.
Moreover, with the evolution of smart phones, in addition to placing marketing messages in shows and programs, smart phone applications are now often used for marketing purposes as well. For example, contents described in a food program are recorded and shared by using an application, so viewers can obtain information needed by inquiring the application after watching the program. The audience does not have to search the contents of interest on the Internet by themselves. Instead, they can obtain relatively comprehensive information by simply inquiring the application. However, the application usually presents contents that were introduced in the program in a textual format, which may prove to be difficult for the audience to recall the context of program, and even as to which particular product he/she was interested at the time of watching the program.
Therefore, there is a need in the field to develop a method for enabling the audience to readily obtain information about a product or a service during or after watching a show, which has the product or the service embedded therein.